“It has been a wild ride”
Often dubbed 'the nicest show on TV', The Great British Sewing Bee sees a group of 12 amateur sewers united by a love of dressmaking, battle it out hoping to be crowned Britain’s most sensational seamster.
When we asked Tony where his love of sewing came from and why he decided to enter The Great British Sewing Bee, he said: ‘I entered The Great British Sewing Bee after being hounded by both my colleagues and my family! I made quite a few face masks for colleagues during the pandemic, and I altered the odd bit of uniform too. This is how people began to know I could actually make things.
‘I’ve been sewing for around four years now. Prior to that I did some knitting and crochet. I started sewing by making project bags for my crochet work, so I could take them out and about. There was no such a thing as a ‘manly’ crochet bag in those days, so I had to make my own. Since then, I pretty much haven’t stopped making things!
‘My favourite creation from the show was definitely my ‘Garment of the week’. It was a neoprene child’s party dress. Most of my creations were very different to the ones the other sewers made in terms of design and fabric choice.
‘Being on The Great British Sewing Bee has opened my eyes to a wider sewing community I never knew existed. I’ve also made a fantastic and diverse group of friends, who I would never have met was it not for the show.
‘It’s really difficult pulling out a single part of the show that I would call my favourite, but making the final was incredible. It was never the plan. It has been a wild ride! As for what happens next, I haven’t stopped making things since the show as I learned so much doing it. My family have now started requesting things, so I have quite a list to work through.’
Image: © Love Productions
